Lancashire lockdown: New rules and areas affected explained
LANCASHIRE, Warrington, Halton and Merseyside have been slapped with new Covid-19 restrictions - with the exception of Blackpool and Greater Manchester.
The total number of people across the UK now in lockdown, including in England's North East, has spiralled to more than ten million.
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What areas are affected?
The new north-west restrictions apply to Blackburn with Darwen, Pendle, Preston, Rossendale, Hyndburn, Burnley and South Ribble.
West Lancashire, Chorley, Wyre, Fylde, Lancaster and Ribble Valley in Lancashire are also hit.
The government curbs cover Liverpool, Wirral, Knowsley, St Helens, Sefton, Halton and Warrington in Merseyside and Cheshire.
Health bosses said Lancashire, including all wards of Blackburn with Darwen (but excluding Blackpool, Oadby and Wigston) and Wolverhampton were being added to the watchlist as an area of intervention.
Wards of Bradford, Kirklees and Calderdale, which were exempt, are also being added into the intervention area.
However the new lockdown restrictions coming into force on September 22 exclude Blackpool and Greater Manchester, the government announced on Friday, September 18.
The curbs have been revealed a day after two million people in England's North East went into lockdown.
What are the lockdown rules?
Lancashire's local lockdown forbids households from mixing in any setting in all of the county's boroughs apart from parts of the seaside resort of Blackpool.
Pubs and restaurants in Lancashire, Warrington, Halton and Merseyside will have to close at 10pm from Tuesday, September 22.
A second national lockdown has not been ruled out but the "great hope" is that people will heed current advice to help manage a "very serious" situation, the Health Secretary has said.
Matt Hancock said a national lockdown was the "last line of defence" as he responded to reports that ministers are considering further national measures, even for just a two-week period, such as imposing a curfew on bars and restaurants.
It comes as ministers come under fire over the shambolic NHS Test and Trace system, which has seen up to four times the number of people trying to book a test as the number of tests available.
Experts have said that without effective testing and tracing, it will be much harder to control the spread of the virus and pinpoint larger outbreaks.
When does the local lockdown start?
New lockdown restrictions will come into force on Tuesday, September 22 in Merseyside, Warrington, Halton, and Lancashire, excluding Blackpool and Greater Manchester, the Government said.
Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "We are seeing cases of coronavirus rise fast in Lancashire, Merseyside, West Yorkshire, Warrington, Halton and Wolverhampton.
"I know these restrictions will make every-day life harder for many, but I know that residents will work together and respect the rules so we can reduce rates of transmission.
"I urge local people to isolate and get a test if you have symptoms, follow the advice of NHS Test and Trace, and always remember 'hands, face, space'."
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The government said that Blaby has become an area of enhanced support, and Selby, Scarborough and Spelthorne, Surrey, have been added as areas of concern.
Swindon, Breckland, Great Yarmouth, Norwich, Broadland, North Norfolk, South Norfolk and King's Lynn & West Norfolk have been removed from the watchlist after improvements in Covid-19 cases.